Three men were arrested this morning after leading a Jefferson County Sheriff's deputy on a chase through a Center Point-area neighborhood in a stolen sport-utility vehicle.

A deputy was called to the 4900 block of Vernon Street about 10:30 a.m. to investigate a report that three men may be trying to break into a house, according to a Jefferson County Sheriff's report. A resident had called to say one man had knocked on the door and two others were standing by the house, according to the report.

Once the three men realized someone was at home, they left, according to the report.

As one deputy drove toward the home he spotted a Ford Expedition matching the description of the suspect vehicle traveling south on Old Springville Road. The deputy tried to stop the SUV after it turned into the Waynesboro subdivision, according to the report.

The vehicle did not stop, and the deputy pursued it until the SUV hit a fence as the driver was trying to leave the neighborhood. The driver lost control of the vehicle and drove off of the road into a ditch, according to the report. Three men jumped out and ran away through a wooded area and up a shallow creek.

The deputy was able to capture one of the men near the vehicle. Two deputies arrested the other two after they were spotted walking out of the woods on Old Springville Road.

The Ford Expedition had been stolen in Homewood this morning.

Deputies recovered a handgun from the vehicle, according to the sheriff's report.